Data obtained from the Environmental Protection Agency shows nearly 850,000 pounds of toxic chemicals ended up in Colorado rivers and streams in 2012.

News 5 uncovers one of the largest offenders is Fort Carson. Digging deeper, we learned the military post has a history of violations. Some violations were verbal or written warnings, while others resulted in hefty fines.

According to the EPA, 143,000 pounds of toxic chemicals from Fort Carson made their way into Clover Ditch which runs into Fountain Creek.

Inspectors documented violations on 9 consecutive compliance checks dating back to January 2012.

Fort Carson also paid $45,000 in fines over the past few years.

"Fort Carson doesn't get any special consideration in these cases," Hisey said. "If they are discharging chemicals into the stream, they have to meet the same criteria and follow the same rules that everyone else does."